Minnesota Nazi's Family Denies Allegations in AP Story, Neighbors Shocked

Friends, family, and neighbors were shocked when an Associated Press investigation revealed that 94-year-old Michael Karkoc, a Ukrainian immigrant who had lived near Minneapolis for sixty years, was the leader of an SS unit accused of atrocities during World War II, according to the Associated Press.

The revelation even prompted authorities in Poland to investigate whether Karkoc should be extradited to Poland, stripped of his U.S. citizenship for lying about his past when he emigrated and tried for war crimes. Michael Passman, a Justice Department spokesman spoke to the Associated Press about their knowledge of the case.

"While we do not confirm or deny the existence of specific investigations, I can say as a general matter that the Department of Justice continues to pursue all credible allegations of participation in World War II Nazi war crimes by U.S. citizens and residents," Passman said.

Gordon Gnasdoskey, the grandson of a Ukrainian immigrant and next door neighbor of Karkoc, told the Associated Press that he was troubled by Karkoc's past.

"I know him personally," Gnasdoskey said. "We talk, laugh. He takes care of his lawn and walks with his wife."

The neighborhood Karkoc lives in used to be a haven for immigrant of Slavic, Ukrainian and Polish descent. Over the years that has changed but there are still a great deal of Eastern Europeans in the neighborhood as well as may Catholic and Orthodox churches. Karkoc and his family are active members at St. Michael's and St. George's Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

"All the time I am here, I know him as a good man, a good citizen," Reverend Evha Kumka told the Associated Press. "I don't think everything is correct. As I know him, he is a good example for many people."

The strongest reaction coming from the story is coming from the family itself which vehemently denies that Karkoc was a Nazi. Andrij Karkoc, Michael's son, issued a statement accusing the Associated Press of defaming his father, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"This morning the Associated Press intentionally and maliciously defamed our father, Michael Karkoc," Andrij Karkoc said. "Their slander cannot hope to besmirch my father's character. It only serves to damage and discredit the AP's credibility. My father was never a Nazi."

The elder Karkoc was not available for comment.

Video of Andrij Karkoc's statement can be seen here.